I’ve been playing with the new HTC Aria and wanted to tell you guys about some of the cool things that this new Android phone can do.
The first thing that caught my eye about the HTC Aria is the security it uses to protect your information on the phone. The screen locks and you set up a pattern on the phone to unlock it instead of using a password with numbers –although you can do that too.
This phone comes with custom scenes that let you create a different look and feel for every activity. It is like I have one phone for my work week and one phone for my weekends.
One of my favorite past times while I’m at a doctor’s appointment or waiting in line is to catch up on my social networking sites. With the HTC Aria, I can easily go to Facebook and Flickr in the browser or use the HTC FriendStream widget to see your friend’s latest posts at a glance. The Aria also has HTC Peep so I can stay on top of Twitter.
I really like the way the Aria lets me choose how to set up my email, calls and texts. I can organize these in a logical way for me, which isn’t always the most logical for others. So I get to keep my individuality and organize at the same time.
As you all know I am a big fan of applications and how they can simplify your life. With the HTC Aria I can go to an app store and get all the applications I need. I can basically get an application for almost anything that a working Mom would need. I can organize my notes, track my gas mileage and even find recipes for dinner all from my phone. I can also listen to music anytime since the Aria is an MP3 player. And of course the greatest benefit I see is that the phone has GPS and I can track my workouts as well as use it for treasure hunts.
Lastly, the feature that really has me excited is the text to talk feature. I can turn my voice into a text message I can talk and return a quick message.I am very impressed with it and I am actually making the switch from my old smart phone to this one. Until next time, thanks for letting me share!
Posted by Effie in Effie, Reviews, SmartPhone Tags: Effie, SmartPhone
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Hey! I was recently given the opportunity to review the Samsung Mythic, and wanted to share with you some of the features I thought were the best especially for busy parents on the go.
Have I captured your interest? Well I have good news! We have one Samsung Mythic to give away to one lucky reader
Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment here and tell us how the Samsung Mythic will help keep you calm, cool and connected. Your e-mail address and phone number must be accurate in your comment so we’re able to contact you. Make sure you double check. (Don’t worry. These won’t be published.)
2) You can also enter by writing a post on your blog answering the same question. Just be sure to leave a comment here linking to your post so we know where to find it.
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. This sweepstakes runs from December 16 to Sunday, December 20, 2009. It is only open to individuals who, at the time of entry deadline, are legal residents of the United States and are 18 years or older; one entry per person. Wireless service is not included with the phone. The winner will be notified via phone on or about Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009.
For complete contest rules, including eligibility, click here.
Standard usage rates apply to text messages and data usage, depending on your plan. See att.com/dataterms for terms and conditions.
Posted by Calm, Cool & Connected in Contests, Effie, Reviews, Uncategorized, Vlogs Tags: Contest, Contests, Effie, Mobile TV, Samsung Mythic, SmartPhone, Texting
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So I have my new Smartphone now, and I’ve had it about three weeks. There are so many applications to choose from and sometimes at night while lying in my bed, I browse all the applications. I browse until my eyes become dry and itchy. Dare, I say that this little contraption is a tad bit addicting. I have found that at doctor’s appointments or any other downtime, I always have something to do thanks to my Smartphone. Just as stated in my earlier blog, I am on my way to Super Mommy status. I have so many paths to take to achieve the status that I am at a loss where to start.
Since the holidays are fast approaching, I will start with how I plan to use my Smartphone to make the holiday season less complicated. Every year close to the holiday shopping time, I whip out my little notebook that houses gift lists from previous years and every year I add the currents years’ list to the notebook. Of course the little notebook only has so many pages, so as my notebook fills up, I have to buy a new one. To make sure I am not duplicating any gifts, I have to go through all of my notebooks. I also have a gift budget. The budget is on a spreadsheet in my computer and has to be updated several times to keep the running totals. Now my gift list is going electronic thanks to my Smartphone. I have purchased an application that will track my gifts and the price of the gifts at the same time, Holiday Shopping List. I now have an electronic version of my gift lists and I can enter a budget for each person, the application tallies my gifts and lets me know when I have reached the budget. I can also enter gift ideas for each person. There are many different gift list applications available; it’s up to each individual to choose which application would fit their gift list style. I am very excited on how much more organized my gift list will be. Next is to find and install the holiday card list.
Happy shopping!
Posted by Calm, Cool & Connected in Effie, Organization, Shopping, SmartPhone Tags: Effie, Shopping, SmartPhone
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I had an exciting Friday night a couple of weeks ago! AT&T is a proud sponsor of USA Gymnastics and they allowed me to attend the Visa Championships hosted by USA Gymnastics with VIP tickets so that I could share my experience with my fellow calm, cool and connected parents. But I didn’t go alone! I was able to take my mother, step-dad, and step-grandmother with me to the American Airlines Center in Dallas. I have never been to a gymnastics competition, not to mention a championship competition. Our VIP tickets gave us almost front row seats to view all the action. Friday night was the continuation of the men’s competition. I had the privilege of seeing the 2012 Olympic hopefuls very close up and my guests for the night seemed to really enjoy watching all the rotations of the men’s competition.
At times it was hard to keep up with every routine as they were all happening simultaneously. I was closest to the floor routines as well as the high bars and parallel bars. I have never in my life, that I can remember, watched a men’s floor routine. Wow, how in the world do they do those handstands, which look way more painful than a standard handstand? Here’s a glimpse of the floor routines:
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As I watched the high bar routines, I would cringe every once in a while. It seems that if I asked my elbows to bend as the gymnasts did, the joints would surely give way and I would fly into the stands. Here’s another great video showing some of the amazing talent that we watched:
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I was very touched during the awards ceremony at the end of the night. I was sitting next to Jonathan Horton’s grandparents and his whole family actually. His grandfather stood up and yelled proudly, “that’s my grandson”. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think of it now. It was a great family event to attend.
After the competition the excitement didn’t stop. We were also given the opportunity to check out the AT&T Technology Tour. The AT&T Technology Tour is an experiential tour that demonstrates live AT&T services in the home as well as wireless. My family and I were able to see AT&T’s technology firsthand through wireless devices and touch screens. My family was amazed at the all the cool things you can do with technology after going through the tour. It was definitely a night to remember.
Posted by Calm, Cool & Connected in Effie, Just for fun, Uncategorized Tags: Effie
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Confession: I haven’t made the smartphone jump yet. I am so close, I just haven’t done it. I used to use the price as an excuse why I hadn’t bought one but now they are in the same price range as any of the other phones I might buy from AT&T.
Funny story: at one time I had a smartphone, but for reasons that I can’t remember, I ended up giving it to my step mom who needed a new phone. I had to convince her to take it; she was against having to pay for a data plan. So I told her,” just take it and see if you like it”. I also reasoned with her that in the big scheme of things, the data plans were not much more expensive than the other rate plans available.
I’m not sure what came over her, but once she started using it the rest was history, as they say. My dad claims that she doesn’t need a husband anymore now that she has her smartphone. He claims he’s joking, but deep down, I think he might be jealous of the smartphone!
So what is so great about this phone? I found an article about a mom that uses her smartphone to help her with her grocery shopping and stay informed when she’s out and about with the kids. That explained it all to me and if you’re on the fence like I was this article just might change your mind. I know it changed mine. In fact, I am buying one at the end of the week. I will follow up to let you know how the transition goes and if I can make my smartphone do all that the article says it will do. My fingers are crossed. Supermomdom will be mine, I can feel it!
Posted by Calm, Cool & Connected in Effie, Organization, Reviews, SmartPhone Tags: Effie, SmartPhone
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